Chapter 15 Born in Fire
The GOD team’s base was a four–story luxury villa near the river. First floor, living room. Second, player and coach bedrooms. Third, a remodeled training room. Fourth, a private gym.
+8 Pearts
When Wylie brought Azalea over, their support player, Lachlan, came stumbling down the stairs with bedhead and sleepy eyes. “Wylie, here to train? And uh, is this girl your girlfriend or something?”
Wylie’s eye twitched. The thought of Hubert being weirdly invested in Azalea flashed through his mind. Girlfriend? Try another guess.
“She’s not. This is Phoenix, our new mage player.”
Lachlan blinked hard, instantly awake. His eyes widened from sleepy slits to full–on circles. “You’re saying she’s replacing Petal?”
The villa, a birthday gift from Wylie’s family when he was a child, hadn’t undergone any serious renovations, so the soundproofing wasn’t great.
Lachlan’s shout roused the rest of the half–asleep team members on the second floor, who soon poked their heads out one by
one.
All their gazes turned toward Azalea. Suspicious. Disbelieving. Some are even openly contemptuous.
They didn’t believe a woman could play competitively, let alone deserve to be on their team, a team headed for the finals.
“Well, well. Captain, someone sneered. “So this is what you’ve been up to all those days you disappeared?”
“Getting desperate’s one thing, but sleeping your way to a solution?”
A mocking voice came from the doorway. A cocky young man with red–dyed hair leaned lazily against the doorframe, his face sharp and boyish. His gaze swept over Azalea, then returned to Wylie. “Captain, come on. We’ve fought together for so long, from K–League all the way to the autumn finals. Can’t we part ways peacefully? Let me go, and I’ll still show up to help in the finals as a friend. If you don’t, then fine. You can keep your little sparrow and pretend she’s gold.”
Petal’s tone was confident, smug. He clearly believed Wylie had no choice but to pick him.
Azalea looked him over calmly. The news about GOD’s mid–laner being injured and unable to play had only been made public. Internally, anyone with real connections knew what had happened: Petal was approached by Anexis‘ manager before the finals. If he didn’t play in the championship, Anexis‘ current mid–laner would retire after this match.
In her previous life, Petal got his wish and transferred to Anexis. He had real skills, sure, but he played selfishly and let his ego run the show. He clashed with the team constantly. After joining. Anexis suffered a devastating sixteen–match losing streak, falling to Group B and nearly losing their league slot.
In the end, it was Azalea who benched him and saved Anexis.
But Petal had never thought he’d done anything wrong.
Anexis wouldn’t pay the penalty for his contract breach, and he didn’t have that kind of money himself. His only plan was to strong–arm Wylie.
Sure, he’d show up for the finals, but whether GOD won or not? Not his problem.
And let’s be real, given the chance to join a championship team like Anexis, who wouldn’t take it?
Wylie had grown up in the privileged Lennox. Wherever he went, people treated him like a king. He’d poured time, money, and heart into founding this teain, only to be treated like dirt now.
Then get the hell out,” Wylie said coldly. “You really think you’re that valuable? Or has my patience made you forget who I
Honestly, he hadn’t already picked a lawyer on Petal because he still had a shred of kindness left.
Petal’s expression shifted. A flicker of fear, but more than that, rage. Did Wyle really think this woman could replace him?
“Pi
Chapter 15 Born in Fire
+8 Pearls
Lachlan spoke up hesitantly. Wylie, maybe everyone could take a step back? I mean, it’s normal to want a better career path.”
Clearly, he didn’t think Azalea had what it took either.
Even the coach weighed in after a pause. “If Petal doesn’t play, we might as well hand the championship to the other side.
Clap, clap, clap!
A crisp applause echoed through the tense atmosphere. Azalea smiled, her voice dripping with mockery. “Wow, what touching display of friendship.
“So looking for better opportunities is a fancy way of saying stabbing your old teammates in the back before the finals? Guess that’s what you guys call loyalty now.
“How’s that any different from someone wrecking a family and yelling. But we’re in love!?”
Lachlan turned red at the ears.
Azalea swept
her gaze across the room, then locked eyes with Petal. “Since you think I slept my way into the mid–lane, how about we settle this the old–school way–ly? If I lose, you walk, no contract fee, no strings attached. But if you lose, you bow down apologize, and admit you’re washed. And you apologize to every woman you’ve ever disrespected”
Petal, confident that his skills would crush hers, agreed without hesitation. “Deal. He was going to clip this Phoenix’s wings
At first. Wylie didn’t think much of it. Her terms sounded fair enough. But a wrinkle creased his brow as he glanced at Azalea. Wait wasn’t the contract buyout supposed to go to him?
Not that anyone else seemed to care. The whole team was laser–focused on the coming match.
And if just if, this girl could beat Petal.
Who didn’t want to win a championship? If a better player joined the team, who would really be against it?
Upstairs, in the third–floor gaming room. Everyone crowded behind the two PCs, eyes fixed on the screen.
Peta! chose his signature hero, Inkblade. Azalea wasn’t surprised. She’d faced him in her past life and knew his favorite pick inside and out
She chose Miraquell. After a recent rework, Miraquell’s first skill allowed her to freeze herself and become invulnerable. perfect for countering burst damage on a solo map. He’d be like a flightless chicken if she could dodge Petal’s ultimate with her second skill.
They agreed on a Firs Blood match. Petal clearly picked Inkblade, hoping to snowball with her deadly level–4 burst.
And sure, he looked down on Azalea, but that didn’t mean he was careless. Both sides played safe early, slowly clearing waves and testing each other. No mistakes. No opportunities.
Petal’s playstyle had always been high–risk, high–reward. He looked stable, but he’d go all in as soon as he saw even a sliver of opportunity if it paid off, great. But if it was a trap, it could wreck the entire team.
Azalea knew exactly how to bait that kind of player. Right at level 4, she offered up a tempting misstep.
She already had her skill queued and ready.
Petal took the bait, and the result was instantly.
In his eyes the kill was guaranteed.
The others watching leaned forward, ready to celebrate. Inkblade’s ulti was infamous for its execution power. One slip and
you were gone.
But Azalea remained calm, gently tapping her first skill.
Kight at the moment when Inkblade flew into the air and was locked into her animation, Miraquell’s skill made her immune to all damage.
The second Inkblade landed. A blue circle rippled beneath him, and a watery trap detonated at his feet.
Chapter 15 Born in Fire
+8 Pearls
“Women are made of water,” came the voice line.
Then the screen went grayscale.
Instant death. One combo. No chance to react.
Petal didn’t even get to struggle.
“No way!” His eyes were bloodshot, refusing to accept the result.
He slammed his headset on the table. There’s no way I lost!”
Azalea raised her head, looking at him with the same mocking gaze he’d used before. “If you can’t handle losing, don’t play. Practice more instead of whining
The color flushed straight up Petal’s neck. Red to the ears. Rage and embarrassment blended into one.
Even the coach was still digesting Azalea’s flawless maneuver.
His silver–rimmed glasses caught the light, eyes blazing behind them. That wasn’t luck. That wasn’t instinct. That was a calculation.
“You!” Petal pointed at her, his hand shaking.
Azalea casually batted it away. “Apologize.”
Petal wasn’t completely spineless. Gritting his teeth, he bowed down before his former teammates. I’m washed. She’s better. I apologize. I lost to a girl.”
Those last words were practically ripped from his throat.
He turned to leave without another word.
But Azalea’s voice came from behind him.
“My name is Phoenix. Born in fire, not a damn sparrow.
“And by the way, sparrows are protected wildlife now. Maybe show some respect”
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Betrayal Made Her Queen
Chapter 16 Blind and Unforgiven
On the top floor of the Anexis Club office building.
+8 Pearls
Bastian sat at his desk, hands folded, forehead resting against his fingers. A stack of work in front of him needed handling, but he couldn’t focus on a single thing.
It had been several days now. He’d already sent his assistant to search for any trace of Azalea, but there had been no news at ail.
She had no money, was just a young girl, and had left home with nowhere to go. Where could she possibly have ended up?
Even the bodyguards he’d sent to wait outside her school hadn’t seen a trace of her.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was his mother calling.
“What have you been so busy with these past few days! Sydney even came asking if she did something to upset you. If you’ve got time, come home, and we’ll all go to the hot spring resort together.”
Hearing Ivy’s cheerful voice through the phone, Bastian felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest.”
Azalea had been missing for days, and his mother still had the heart to take the whole family to a resort to relax for Sydney’s sake.
The shock faded into a wave of cold bitterness. So this was how Azalea had always been treated at home,
“No, Ive still got things to take care of,” he said flatly and ended the call.
He almost wanted to go straight to the police, but his assistant knocked and walked in just then. “Sir, we found her. Ms. Azalea went to rent a room in Grey Hollow after she left the Larks.”
“But…” the assistant didn’t even get to finish. Bastian had already snatched up his car keys and was rushing out the door.
When he finally arrived at Grey Hollow and saw the area, he was genuinely stunned. He hadn’t even known a place like this could exist in Draywick.
The alleys were narrow, dirty, and crowded. There was barely anywhere to park.
His expensive car stood out like a sore thumb, instantly attracting attention like a caged animal in a zoo. He had no choice but to find a spot further away and walk back to the location his assistant had provided,
For someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the toughest thing Bastian had ever endured was probably that month in Erlands, surviving on nothing but instant noodles.
A wave of dizziness hit him as soon as he stepped into Grey Hollow. The air was thick with a stench he couldn’t name. Trash was piled in corners, and shirtless men sauntered past without a care.
Groups of yellow–haired punks loitered by the roadside, smoking and leering at every young woman who passed.
Azalea had been living here?
His face turned pale. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of dangers she might have faced. A young girl, and such a beautiful one, too; how could she have possibly survived here?
Stumbling slightly, he jogged the rest of the way to the building she’d supposedly rented. After asking around, he finally found the landlord
“Excuse me, has a pretty girl, looks about 16 or 17, ever rented a room here?”
The landlord could tell at a glance that Bastian wasn’t just anybody. Remembering how a man in a sharp suit had slipped him a wad of cash not long ago–telling him to kick out the girl, he quickly figured this newcomer was probably here for her.
With a warm, almost eager tone, he asked, “Yeah, was her name Azalea, by any chance?”
Bastian’s eyes lit u
up “Yes! Where is she now?”
